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Factors influencing terrestriality in primates of the Americas and Madagascar. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2121105119. [PMID: 36215474 PMCID: PMC9586308 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2121105119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Among mammals, the order Primates is exceptional in having a high taxonomic richness in which the taxa are arboreal, semiterrestrial, or terrestrial. Although habitual terrestriality is pervasive among the apes and African and Asian monkeys (catarrhines), it is largely absent among monkeys of the Americas (platyrrhines), as well as galagos, lemurs, and lorises (strepsirrhines), which are mostly arboreal. Numerous ecological drivers and species-specific factors are suggested to set the conditions for an evolutionary shift from arboreality to terrestriality, and current environmental conditions may provide analogous scenarios to those transitional periods. Therefore, we investigated predominantly arboreal, diurnal primate genera from the Americas and Madagascar that lack fully terrestrial taxa, to determine whether ecological drivers (habitat canopy cover, predation risk, maximum temperature, precipitation, primate species richness, human population density, and distance to roads) or species-specific traits (body mass, group size, and degree of frugivory) associate with increased terrestriality. We collated 150,961 observation hours across 2,227 months from 47 species at 20 sites in Madagascar and 48 sites in the Americas. Multiple factors were associated with ground use in these otherwise arboreal species, including increased temperature, a decrease in canopy cover, a dietary shift away from frugivory, and larger group size. These factors mostly explain intraspecific differences in terrestriality. As humanity modifies habitats and causes climate change, our results suggest that species already inhabiting hot, sparsely canopied sites, and exhibiting more generalized diets, are more likely to shift toward greater ground use.
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Predation risk is a function of seasonality rather than habitat complexity in a tropical semiarid forest. Sci Rep 2021; 11:16670. [PMID: 34404872 PMCID: PMC8371019 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-96216-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Predator-prey dynamics are some of the most important species' interactions in the natural structuring of communities, and are among the more complex ecological processes studied by ecologists. We measured predation risk using artificial lizard replicas to test two competing hypotheses regarding predation pressure in semi-arid environments: (1) predation risk is dependent on the habitat structural complexity; and (2) predation risk is dependent on seasonality. We placed 960 lizard replicas along three sites with different physical structures and in both dry and rainy seasons for seven consecutive days in a caatinga area in northeastern Brazil at Grota do Angico Natural Monument (GANM). Birds were responsible for the majority of attacks and more frequently on artificial lizards placed in trees. Attacks focused on the most vulnerable areas of the body (head and torso), proving that were perceived by predators as true prey items. We found that predation risk is not dependent on the habitat structural complexity, but rather dependent on the caatinga seasonality, with the overall attack rate being 19% higher in the dry season. Our study suggests that potential predation risk is highly context-dependent and that seasonality consistently drives of trophic interactions strength in the caatinga, an important ecological finding that could contribute to better understanding the complex evolution of predator-prey interactions within communities of animals living in different habitats.
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Miranda EBP, Peres CA, Downs CT. Landowner perceptions of livestock predation: implications for persecution of an Amazonian apex predator. Anim Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- E. B. P. Miranda
- Centre for Functional Biodiversity School of Life Sciences University of KwaZulu‐Natal Pietermaritzburg South Africa
| | - C. A. Peres
- School of Environmental Sciences University of East Anglia Norwich UK
- Instituto Juruá Manaus Brazil
| | - C. T. Downs
- Centre for Functional Biodiversity School of Life Sciences University of KwaZulu‐Natal Pietermaritzburg South Africa
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For emergency only: terrestrial feeding in Coimbra-Filho's titis reflects seasonal arboreal resource availability. Primates 2020; 62:199-206. [PMID: 32862373 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-020-00859-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/14/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Terrestriality in Platyrrhine primates is primarily associated with low arboreal resource availability, low predation risk when on the ground and increased contact time with human observers. To test the relationship between these variables and ground use frequency, we studied a group of endangered Coimbra-Filho's titi monkeys (Callicebus coimbrai) in a 14-ha forest fragment in north-eastern Brazil. Terrestriality data were collected on a monthly basis (33 months) using scan sampling procedures from July 2008 to July 2012. Overall, Coimbra-Filho's titi monkeys were recorded during 0.6% of observation time (113 out of 18,164 scans) on the ground. Most of the time on the ground was spent feeding on young leaves (71 records) and the least amount of time on fruits (14 records). Availability of arboreal foods, rainfall, and time of contact with human observers did not influence overall terrestrial behaviour (ground use). However, the timing and nature of the monkeys' terrestrial feeding was strongly related to the absence of arboreal fruit (β-estimate = -3.078) and young leaf (β-estimate = -3.515) food resources. We suggest that terrestrial feeding by Coimbra-Filho's titi monkeys could be an adaptation to low arboreal fruit availability and the exploitation of alternative food resources.
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Jucá T, Boyle S, Cavalcanti G, Cavalcante T, Tomanek P, Clemente S, de Oliveira T, Barnett AA. Being hunted high and low: do differences in nocturnal sleeping and diurnal resting sites of howler monkeys (Alouatta nigerrima and Alouatta discolor) reflect safety from attack by different types of predator? Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blaa102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Predation risk is important in influencing animal behaviour. We investigated how the choice of nocturnal sleeping and diurnal resting sites by two species of primates was influenced by the most likely forms of attack (diurnal raptors and nocturnal felids). We recorded vertical and horizontal patterns of occupancy for 47 sleeping and 31 resting sites, as well as the presence of lianas or vines on trees. We compared the heights of trees used as resting or sleeping sites by the monkeys with those of 200 forest trees that the monkeys did not use. Trees used as nocturnal sleeping sites were taller than those used as diurnal resting sites, and taller than trees that the monkeys did not use. However, while trees used as diurnal resting sites were not significantly taller than non-used trees, diurnal resting sites were located on branches closer to the ground, closer to the main trunk of the tree and in trees with more lianas/vines than nocturnal sleeping sites. The differences in site location can be explained by the type of predator most likely to attack at a particular time: raptors in the day and felids at night.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thays Jucá
- Amazonian Mammals Research Group, National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA), Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - Sarah Boyle
- Department of Biology, Rhodes College, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Gitana Cavalcanti
- Department of Ecology, Conservation and Wildlife Management, Institute of Biological Science, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Thiago Cavalcante
- Amazonian Mammals Research Group, National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA), Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - Pavel Tomanek
- Department of Animal Science and Ethology, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Salatiel Clemente
- Ecology and Natural Resource Management, Federal University of Acre (UFAC), Acre, Brazil
| | - Tadeu de Oliveira
- Department of Biology, Maranhão State University (UEMA), São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil
| | - Adrian A Barnett
- Amazonian Mammals Research Group, National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA), Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
- Zoology Department, Amazonas Federal University (UFAM), Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
- Centre for Research in Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Roehampton, London, UK
- Department of Zoology, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
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Adams DB, Kitchen DM. Model vs. playback experiments: The impact of sensory mode on predator‐specific escape responses in saki monkeys. Ethology 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dara B. Adams
- Department of Anthropology The Ohio State University Columbus OH USA
- Department of Anthropology Humboldt State University Arcata CA USA
| | - Dawn M. Kitchen
- Department of Anthropology The Ohio State University Columbus OH USA
- Department of Anthropology The Ohio State University Mansfield OH USA
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Humphreys RK, Ruxton GD. The dicey dinner dilemma: Asymmetry in predator-prey risk-taking, a broadly applicable alternative to the life-dinner principle. J Evol Biol 2020; 33:377-383. [PMID: 31919916 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Revised: 12/24/2019] [Accepted: 12/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Forty years ago, the 'life-dinner principle' was proposed as an example of an asymmetry that may lead prey species to experience stronger selection than their predators, thus accounting for the high frequency with which prey escape alive from interaction with a predator. This principle remains an influential concept in the scientific literature, despite several works suggesting that the concept relies on many under-appreciated assumptions and does not apply as generally as was initially proposed. Here, we present a novel model describing a very different asymmetry to that proposed in the life-dinner principle, but one that could apply broadly. We argue that asymmetries between the relative costs and benefits to predators and prey of selecting a risky behaviour during an extended predator-prey encounter could lead to an enhanced likelihood of escape for the prey. Any resulting advantage to prey depends upon there being a behaviour or choice that introduces some inherent danger to both predator and prey if they adopt it, but which if the prey adopts the predator must match in order to have a chance of successful predation. We suggest that the circumstances indicated by our model could apply broadly across diverse taxa, including both risky spatial or behavioural choices.
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Wheeler BC, Fahy M, Tiddi B. Experimental evidence for heterospecific alarm signal recognition via associative learning in wild capuchin monkeys. Anim Cogn 2019; 22:687-695. [PMID: 31069567 PMCID: PMC6687673 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-019-01264-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2018] [Revised: 03/22/2019] [Accepted: 04/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Many vertebrate taxa respond to heterospecific alarm calls with anti-predator behaviours. While it is unclear how apparent recognition is achieved, learned associations between the occurrence of the call and the presence of a predator are considered the most likely explanation. Conclusive evidence that this behaviour is indeed underpinned by learning, however, is scarce. This study tested whether wild black capuchin monkeys (Sapajus nigritus) learn to associate novel sounds with predators through a two-phase field experiment. During an initial training phase, three study groups were each presented with a playback of one of the three novel sounds together with a simulated felid predator on four occasions over an 8- to 12-week period. This was followed by a test phase, wherein each of the three sounds was played back to individuals in all three groups, allowing each sound to serve as both a test stimulus for individuals trained with that sound, and a control stimulus for individuals trained with another sound. Antipredator responses were significantly stronger in response to test sounds than to controls. Limited observations suggest that antipredator responses persisted for at least 2 years without reinforcement of the predator-sound link. Additionally, responses to noisier sounds were typically stronger than were those to more tonal sounds, although the effect of sound type cannot be disentangled from potential effects of group. This study provides the strongest evidence to date that learning affects the responses of primates to sounds such as heterospecific alarm calls, and supports the contention that signals provide receivers with information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon C Wheeler
- School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NR, UK.
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
- Proyecto Caí, Iguazú National Park, Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina.
| | - Martin Fahy
- Proyecto Caí, Iguazú National Park, Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina
| | - Barbara Tiddi
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
- Proyecto Caí, Iguazú National Park, Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina
- Department of Behavioral Ecology, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, Georg-August University, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
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Terrestrial Behavior in Titi Monkeys (Callicebus, Cheracebus, and Plecturocebus): Potential Correlates, Patterns, and Differences between Genera. INT J PRIMATOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-019-00105-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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10
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Humphreys RK, Ruxton GD. Dropping to escape: a review of an under-appreciated antipredator defence. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2018; 94:575-589. [PMID: 30298642 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2018] [Revised: 08/26/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Dropping is a common antipredator defence that enables rapid escape from a perceived threat. However, despite its immediate effectiveness in predator-prey encounters (and against other dangers such as a parasitoid or an aggressive conspecific), it remains an under-appreciated defence strategy in the scientific literature. Dropping has been recorded in a wide range of taxa, from primates to lizards, but has been studied most commonly in insects. Insects have been found to utilise dropping in response to both biotic and abiotic stimuli, sometimes dependent on mechanical or chemical cues. Whatever the trigger for dropping, the decision to drop by prey will present a range of inter-related costs and benefits to the individual and so there will be subtle complexities in the trade-offs surrounding this defensive behaviour. In predatory encounters, dropping by prey will also impose varying costs and benefits on the predator - or predators - involved in the system. There may be important trade-offs involved in the decision made by predators regarding whether to pursue prey or not, but the predator perspective on dropping has been less explored at present. Beyond its function as an escape tactic, dropping has also been suggested to be an important precursor to flight in insects and further study could greatly improve understanding of its evolutionary importance. Dropping in insects could also prove of significant practical importance if an improved understanding can be applied to integrated pest-management strategies. Currently the non-consumptive effects of predators on their prey are under-appreciated in biological control and it may be that the dropping behaviour of many pest species could be exploited via management practices to improve crop protection. Overall, this review aims to provide a comprehensive synthesis of the current literature on dropping and to raise awareness of this fascinating and widespread behaviour. It also seeks to offer some novel hypotheses and highlight key avenues for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosalind K Humphreys
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, Dyer's Brae House, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9TH, U.K
| | - Graeme D Ruxton
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, Dyer's Brae House, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9TH, U.K
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Corrigendum. Ethology 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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